"When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls. Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still — that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!"
It is Highlands tradition to hold an annual haunted house in the Student Council room to celebrate the Halloween season. The haunted houses are decorated based around the school's theme for that year (DC, Percy Jackson, Disney, etc). This year's theme is about all things Disney, so the theme of this haunted house was the iconic Disneyland attraction, the Haunted Mansion. We set up and spray painted vinyl walls to replicate the setup of the in real life Haunted Mansion. The vinyl was sprayed on with glow-in-the-dark paint, providing an amazing 3-d effect as the students traversed the haunt this year. Black lights were set up on the ceiling, illuminating the paint to make everything stand out. Each member of Student Council applied for a role in the haunted house (Guide, Actor, Special FX), each playing a key component in the quality of the haunted house. The guides led each group through the house, reading the official Disneyland Haunted Mansion script as they went along. Some guides were waiting outside of the mansion's exit, offering candy to the students and recording interviews of their experiences. The actors had their roles in each room, jumpscaring students and bringing the mansion to life. Those responsible for the special effects were behind the scenes, adding extra touches and scares to the house. With each Student Council member assigned to a role in the Haunted House, we ran the house from the 25th of October to Halloween on the 31st. By the end of the 5 day run, HHH8 got amazing ratings by both the school staff and student body. I'd say that this haunt was the scariest of them all, and all it took was utilizing teamwork, hard work, and dedication from all. This sure set the bar high for next year's haunted house, HHH9, but there are no doubts that the upcoming council will be able to exceed expectations! Kamryn, SG Secretary
